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Sunflower's Daughter/Chapter 1-1
This is a subchapter of Chapter 1, released in November 15, 2013. Chapter 1-1 8:37 AM. Nina’s chosen a coffee place to sit and process everything that’s just happened. She's sitting on one of the outside tables, a little bit close to the entrance. She took a bit of time finding a parking spot with all the people walking about today. Like this day wasn’t special at all. She’s placed her purse over the table, just staring at it. Thinking if she should take the firearm out in public. Have a closer look, see what’s so special about it. She’s decided to just keep looking on the bag itself. The small, leather brown designer bag her mom bought for her about a few years ago. The flap had a dark-green, leaf-patterned design, and it was outlined by a pale brown color. Her toting it made her feel normal. Of course, that's what her mother intended. So she can look like she was “part of the general populous.” Classic mom. Her mom, an amateur gun advocate, bought her a gun, apparently aware of today. So was the gun store guy. She can’t be the only person aware of what today is supposed to be. She knows that today’s supposed to be the day California gets hit by the “disease,” or whatever it was called in the media. The local news didn’t want to show it. Nobody in the other channels wanted to mention it. And soon after, the rest of general media followed suit. They started pretending like it didn’t exist or something. She places her hands on top of the table and relaxes her back a bit to a minor slouch. If today was the supposed “End of Days,” “Judgment Day,” normal, civilized life ending as we know it, then she has to spend this time right. Call up a few people. Do something crazy, like—like driving to that one place her mom called a “marijuana processing plant” and getting a discount. Or, like—shoplift the mall and tag it with tasteless graffiti during business hours. Get a DUI. Assault an officer. Play an “impromptu acoustic performance” at a Starbucks somewhere here. Whether the people in it like it or not, she wouldn’t care. Free all the caged animals at a shelter. She could imagine somehow finding an alligator in there and letting it terrorize the streets. Propose to all her past ex’s and call it a polyamorous marriage. And then they can—they can go to Europe and go on an LSD-filled tour. And then they can—they can… That was it. She can’t think of anything else too over-the-top. Getting put on the spot always changes things, doesn’t it? Nina awakens from her crescendo of thoughts, sighing quietly while at it. She sets her bag aside and starts playing with her fingers, looking up a few seconds later. She scans at the view in front of her, with the coffee shop taking over much of her right side, unfolding into the streets, the plaza, cars... The sky was blue, somewhat cloudy. Everything looked normal. People walking around, cars getting into lots and parking. Caffeinaholics in the form of corporate stooges, teenagers with baggy eyes and messy hair, and some more other people exiting out the double doors, cups and cups of their fix in hand... If she can just tell them coffee provided by a store owned by a chain company is unnatural, that there are better sources of coffee that only takes a little bit more effort— So it was normal, after all. Nina was starting to feel like she’s getting ahead of herself. So far, it’s only been her and that gun store cashier who seems to be aware of this day. Maybe he wasn’t so bad... Maybe she should hold up a sign, asking anyone if they know what was going to happen today. No, it’d probably much easier if she wore it… But then she’d be no better than those walking agents of... no, it was too early for religious jokes. She actually calls them “hobo prophets” until she started making fun of the name itself… But that wasn’t the point. The point was she’d be no better than them, and nobody will probably take her seriously. And yet, actually being a hobo prophet in a day like this would be very fun indeed… She decides to go over to her car and look for those radio stations she’s been basing her beliefs on. Conspiracy theorists, pirate radio—it has to be there, somewhere. She stands up from her seat, and walks toward her car. -------- 8:52 AM. Static. Static, and more static. There were some radio stations in the normal frequency that talked about it, but now she’s trying the “other” ones… the stations where she had to ask her cousin to “get” by modifying the radio and antennae and whatever else fancy tampering. But all she’s gotten was static, like two days ago. She slumps back on the driver’s seat, her eyes gazing at the view her windshield provided her. Those stations were just there a few days ago… and now things are going blank? There was a reason for this. A—a conspiracy theory she has to pry, develop... If it wasn’t the radios, the internet will have the answer. It was time to visit an internet café. -------- 9:08 AM. She has no computer at home. This was the only other way to surf the internet. Her phone doesn’t seem to work because it’s so old, and she has no idea what those “contracts” and “plans” were. After paying about ten dollars for an all-day pass, and getting herself a bottle of water, she finds a computer desk nearby the window and proceeds to use it. She starts the browser with the blue “e” icon, goes to Google's main page, and types “judgement day today” on the search bar. Nothing, but articles about the last supposed “Judgment” Day. Below it, more links about more stuff that’ll most likely misdirect her. She doubts her memory for a second. Those theorists talked about cannibals, or… aliens, or something. A mass collection of murderers rooting from a certain virus of some sort… And now, all of her sources are gone. Did she really hear those words? Did those stations really exist? Did she somehow take ecstasy by accident and divulge into a complex thought process that made her believe the world was ending? No. That would’ve been impossible. Ecstasy would only make her do really dumb stuff. She thought it would've made her smart, maybe tap into something in her mind. But she just had to learn the hard way. Good thing she was with someone that day... She leaves the cafe a bit disappointed, and mostly confused. To think, today was going to be exciting, somehow. She continues to think about it on the way to her car. She’s wrapped her head around observing society crumble on its first day a night ago. Was she really going to be disappointed? She puts aside those dark thoughts and decides to think about something else. She enters her car, still pondering… -------- “Hello, Melchior?” Nina’s decided to start doing one of the things in her list; calling up people. She’s settled on the world not ending, yet she’s grown concerned enough to make a few calls. The first and foremost important person was Melchior. She’s parked on a nearby curb, fully committing to this call. “Nina? Is that you?” Nina perks up at the response of a woman, her voice somewhat low-pitched. “Hey! Hey—y-yeah, it’s me—” “Hello, Nina! What’s this call about—wait, wait… I think I know.” Melchior was a pudgy, mild-mannered and middle-aged woman who’s a well-known acquaintance of her’s. And she adores her, because she’s an avid musician. A musician who knows the trades of guitar, violin, accordion, and trumpet, among other things. “How is she, doc? How’s my gal doing?” Nina looked at the surface of her headboard, anxious for the news of her best friend. “Your gal is… well, it’s gonna take more time than I thought… if you really want her to be back in her old glory I suggest you keep on waiting.” The brightness from Nina’s face withers a bit. Yet, she’s still hopeful. It wasn’t news exactly, but she’s always hoping to hear something new. She’s been longing for Meredith’s company for almost a few months now. “Oh… so… h-how is she?...” Nina starts tapping on the steering wheel. “Well she’s…” Some noises of movement and knocking wood could be heard. “... she’s getting there. Strings restored, but the board…” The board…? Nina squeezes the steering wheel for a few tense seconds. That particular injury is still so vivid. “... I don’t wanna spell it out for you, kiddo. Better you just wait…” Nina stares blankly at her wheel, then sighs. “Okay. Okay…” Damage reports are always difficult moments for her. “You just listen to some Fleetwood Mac or something, okay? She’s going to be fine.” Fleetwood Mac was one of Melchior’s favorite bands; she would always mention it every chance she gets. That, or it’s usually her forgetfulness catching up. Nina was more in the mood for Queen right now… “Yeah, sure…” Some ‘Death on Two Legs’, more like. “Thanks, Mel.” She hangs up, and stares blankly in front of her window, drifting into her thoughts. ‘You’re My Best Friend’ was much too cliché to be a song right now, but it’s the most relatable… ‘Radio Ga Ga’ was better. Like when she and Meredith made fun of radio. Then Meredith called her a hipster… Nina shakes her thoughts away and comes back to reality. Reminiscing was making her feel overly emotional right now. She has the urge to call up the next best person to Meredith. -------- “Nina, Nina, Nina…” Nina has driven and parked at a different spot by now. Her car was parked in front of a tattoo parlor, somewhere in the busier area of the city. “Lasse, c’mon… don’t drag this out—” “You know you’re my favorite person, Nina. What’s up, whatcha calling for?” Nina watches the tattoo parlor’s front doors, unable to see past its glass covering. “I just—I’m bored, and—” “Nina, when you say ‘bored’… it usually means you want some of this.” Nina pauses, and impatiently sighs. Lasse was a girl who always tested her patience. “What are y—” “Say no more, I’m comin’ out.” Nina turns back to the front doors and sees it swing open, seconds after her response. A tall, slim, punkish red-headed girl with a black tank-top and tattoo-covered arms steps out. She looks around for a few seconds and quickly notices Nina’s car. “Your timing was great… we were about to close early today.” She smiles, and keeps her phone on her ear as she walks toward Nina’s car. “Zero appointments, one call-in sick, one guy done for the day-open the window—” She stops at the passenger window, bends down a bit, and taps the glass. Nina knew she couldn’t see past it, yet her smile was piercing through. “Hang up and I will.” “Nope, I wanna see your face first.” Nina rolls her eyes, and puts her phone aside. She presses the window button down and slowly reveals herself to Lasse. Lasse’s stare doesn’t change. “What happened to your—blah.” She hangs up, waves, and opens the door. “Nina you look beautiful today—” She goes ahead and seats herself. Nina just glares at her, looking for any changes; so far, she still has the same piercings on her nose, the corner of her mouth, and one side of her brow. And the same amount of eyeliner. “Still look the same I see,” Nina says. “Beautiful? Likewise.” Lasse pleasantly smiles at her and is about to brush a strand of her hair away, but she regresses. “So? Why’d you call me up?” Her smile changes into a curious expression, yet her brightness doesn’t vanish. It’s been a few weeks since she’s seen Lasse. She thought that would be the last call she could ever make, yet she couldn’t stop thinking about her… that, and Lasse was willing to hunt her down. “Well…” Nina turns away, looking up front. “Meredith hasn’t been fixed yet and the world’s going to end—so… here I am.” She tries to say something further, but her message was clear enough that she couldn’t continue it. “Meredith still sick…? World going to end…” Lasse tries to show her concern by playfully thinking about it. “Hmmm… hmmm… does Nina need a friend right now?” She pauses and looks at her with fake pity. Nina just looks at her ridiculously, and it forces Lasse to give up. “Okay, okay…” She instead smirks, and pats Nina’s lap once. “Well I’m all yours. Practically a day-off today. We can hang out.” “Really?” Nina changes her look to genuine interest. “Yeah. I mean Meredith’s cool and all, but you can also…” Her pitch goes a little bit lower. “… oh, I don’t know… play ‘Boy Is Mine’ on me?…” She lifts her brows up and down to playfully suggest it. Nina’s expression goes back to non-serious again, yet she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh my g—Lasse—okay, we’ll just go get lunch, then go back to my place, then talk—” “Then play me like a guitar?” Lasse’s stops her playful expression, instead looking in front of her as if she was trying to hide it. Nina furrows her eyebrows, as she starts the car’s ignition. “What—” She impatiently sighs and attempts to ignore her, focusing on starting her car instead. Category:Sunflower's Daughter Category:Sunflower's Daughter Chapters Category:Issues Category:Apocalypse Life Category:KnowledgeProspector Stories